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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rest — what's left
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rest — a break
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. row — a line
  9. chip — for betting
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. roll — a cake
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fall — the season
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. roll — a list
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com